Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-03-19

past her like shuttles, and before you can
fairly turn to look, are tossing and rock.
ing on the swell many rods behind.
A black hull, supporting a cloud Of
dmgy-white canvas, is seen ahead. 1t is
the Hudson Bay Company's stote-ship,
bound for Vancouver A fash, cloud
OF white smoke, heavy thud, and she has
saluted the Orc Fino. A lar and thun-
der-clap that startles the old ones, and
sets the ladies to screaming, and the Orc
Fino has saluted her. Three cheers from
the stranger as the British flag runs up to
the masthead, and three cheers as the
stars and stripes curl and snaD in the
stiff breeze from our gaff. Now that she
has passed, and the sun falls full on her
canvass, she seems like a great bank of
snow floating up the river.
! Nearly. everybody is tired of watching
her, and many have gone into the cabins
to avoid the wind which is growing
chilly, and others are composing them
selves in twos and threes about the deck,
when a new and more thrilling episode
calls them all to their feet again. Dun
ham and two men come tearing up the
staircas to the quarterback. The bell
tinkles, and the paddles stop.
''Man overboardln is the CRY. Every
one rushes to the stern; every one scans
the boiling current. ''There, see him p
cries one t'He's treading waterln cries
! another. Everybody can see him now /;
but by this time the tremendous mo-
mentum of the vessel has left him little
speck quarter of mile behind. 1t takes
an age to lower the boat. Finally it is
of-Dunham in the stern, and the sturdy
sailors bending the ash dangerously. "Can
he hold out9n "oh, yes; can't you see him7
He's treading water" ''No, he's floating. ~
"Anyhow, he keeps up bravely.n 'How
slow the boat goesr' 'Why don't thev
pullm In fact, the boat was cutting the
water like frightened fish. Men on the
ship involuntarily bent and strained, as
though they could help in that way. The
boat nears the floating object, now only q
spcck in the distance. A joyful murmur
goes up from the ship. ''He's saved "
"Oh, those strong mem" But Dunham
sheers the boat around, and picks up only
hat and holds it high in the air. The
owner had long since sunk. By the time
the tired crew were taken on board and
the vessel under headway, it was dark.
They made Astoria by midnight, and lay
to alongside the wharf.
The wind freshened during the night,
and by morning heavy gale, filed with
salt spray, was driving in directly from
the sea. The pilot reported that it would
be impossible to cross the bar in such a
blow. So they waited. Dunham's pre-
/ r L L Al
ened by the loss of the man from the
ship, and he was more nervous and gloomy
than when he left home So he took his
boy and went ashore He went to the
house of a friend and left joey there,
with orders to return to Portland by the
first steamer that should go up. He also
wrote a letter to his wife-a little longer
than usual, almost two pages, and little
more affectionate than usual He excused
himself for writing by telling her that
the bar was so bad they couldn't cross,
and it was little too dull to stay there
doing nothing.
By ten o'clock the squall had abated,
and by noon the pilot said he thought he
could get over the bar by taking the
north channel While the firemen were
getting ur steam, Dunham ran over to
his friends house-it was only a few
steps-and bade joey goodbye, and told
him to be a good boy and mind his
mother, and gave him sundry other items
of good advice which / fear the young
scapcgrace did not attend to closely, be-
ing engaged in the very amusing game of
see-saw with the little girl of the house.
By three o'clock the ship was fairly
under way again. By five, she was safely
over the bar, and had put her pilot
aboard steamer which was waiting on
the outside to enter. The captain, having
been up all the previous night, went to
his cabin and turned in for the night.
The passengers were all either sea-sick or
chilled by the cold wind, and had gone
to their rooms and into the cabin. The
wheelman, by orders from Dunham,
made out Cape Disappointment and Til
lamook Head, and took his ranges from
them and put the ship on her course. H,
had only time to do this when fog
rolled up, so dense that even the light on
Cape Disappointment could scarcely be
seen. Dunham assured himself that the
Ship was on the right course by going
into the wheel-house and looking for
himself. Having-done this, and know
ing the coast perfectly, he felt pretty
safe. He was a little confused and ner-
vous, however, and so he went down to
the cabin and overhauled his charts, and
read the sailing directions just as though
he had never made the trip before. He
seemed to be all right "Bring your YES
sci in range with Cape Disappointment
and Tillamook Head, and then put her
about south by east" He had done this
fifty times before, and had come out all
right. To be sure that no mistake had
been made, he climbed up to the wheel
house, and quietly asked the man at the
wheel how he had got his range. He
answered promptly and satisfactorily.
Everything was according to orders. So
Dunham cursed his nervousness, and
walked back to the smoke-stack.
The wind had gone down with the sun,
but heavy sea was running, and it was
as dark as Tartarus. Dunham paced the
deck for half an hour, then went below
to get his cloak. Being chilly, he went
up TO the hurricane deck and sat with his
/ hack IN the snoke-efack Rainer narvona